Nov. 21, 2010

Recap |  Box Score

Cal head coach Kevin Grimes

Opening statement:
"It was a very exciting game today, obviously. Lots of back and forth and play by both teams. Both teams played very hard. Both teams played very well. It was a close match. It came down to a great play by Davis [Paul] there at the end, and that was the difference in the game."

On the winning goal:
"It was definitely a counterattack. I think the last two who touched it were Anthony Avalos and Hector Jimenez."

On UCSB's impassioned play:
It's hard to say. We don't play them all that often. I think the last time we played them was a few years ago and before that, a few years before that. It wasn't anything really different than what we see in Pac-10 games - teams playing hard, competitive, and trying their best. Sometimes when you go a man down, you actually play a little bit better because you know you have to work that much harder when you're a man down. I've had plenty of games in my career as a player and a coach where we've gone a man down and actually have played better and have won the game. It wasn't surprising that they played well with a man down."

Davis Paul

On if he has similarly won or tied a game in the last few seconds of a half or overtime period:
"I actually scored this season with four seconds to go against Saint Mary's to tie a game. We're no stranger to that."

On Demitrius Omphroy's late shot into the UCSB box that created a UCSB infraction and ensuing penalty kick for Cal:
"When there are 12 guys in the box and even more at that chance, anything can happen. The ball can end up anywhere. I think he was dumping it in, hoping for the best, and we were fortunate."

On his winning goal:
"I was lucky. Sometimes as a forward you'd rather be lucky than good. I was trailing that play by 15 yards. Luckily I caught up to it, and the ball just took a fortunate bounce in front of me."

On if he knew time was running out in the first overtime period:
"You can always kind of hear the countdown, but it's just the team philosophy - finish through the line. We play every second counts. There's no point in stopping your play when there are only 10 seconds left. It all matters."

Servando Carrasco
On if the game plan changes late in the game:
"Not really. We always stick to our own game plan. We're confident in what we do. No matter what the score is, we're going to stick to what we do best, and that's the Cal style of football."

On UCSB's early red card:
"It was a very physical game. We both want to win. He came in studs up. That's unfortunate. He got a red card. There's nothing really I can say about that. Yes, I was mad. But it's all part of the game."

On his thoughts before taking the penalty kick:
"I just knew I had to make the shot. There was a lot on the line, and I knew the team was depending on me, so I just put it in the back of the net."

A.J. Soares

On if the Gaucho speed gave them any trouble:

"No, it's no different than any Pac-10 team really, like Kevin said earlier. Every game that you play at this level, everyone is fast, physical and good on the ball. There's nothing that we haven't seen before. Credit to them. They're a good team, obviously, with a lot of great players. We went out there and executed our game plan, and that's why we won the game."

On whether it was difficult for the Bears to keep their composure while trailing late in the game:
"No, you got to keep your composure all the time. But we're used to that. We've played in many games this year and over our careers, it's just another game. It's nothing different than, like we said, like we see in the Pac-10. Keep your composure. Sometimes you're down a goal, sometimes you're up a goal. We know what to do in those situations and we did what we had to do today to win the game."